Only when speaking of algae did Ling Shuying truly open up.
She tried her best to explain to Hai Yao in a way the girl could understand: the significance of cultivating Basic Algae, the infinite possibilities of algae, and how the algae plants cultivated in the future could become food.
Hai Yao listened, completely engrossed.
A trace of confusion occasionally flashed in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by astonishment.
“If it’s really as you say, these little green dots are amazing!
They can keep so many people from going hungry!”
Hai Yao was still half-skeptical.
She had never been to the City State, but she had heard about the famines there.
The refugees who arrived on Bihai Island all looked like walking skeletons.
Bihai Island was rich in resources, so the villagers didn’t often go hungry.
Food shortages only occurred during bad harvest years, and even then, people’s meals were never particularly lavish.
Yet the ecological future Ling Shuying described seemed like a thriving utopian land where everyone had plenty to eat and wear.
This sparked a glimmer of anticipation in her, along with a touch of awe toward both the two algae seedlings and Ling Shuying.
Back in the cave, Hai Yao gently reshaped the sun-dried jellyfish from the beach, fashioning them into suitable covers before handing them to Ling Shuying to place over the algae seedling culture dishes.
With this protective film, the surface of the algae could block out most airborne spores and microorganisms, significantly reducing biological contamination.
Having finished all this, Ling Shuying let out a long breath.
Next, all she had to do was conduct dynamic monitoring to prevent worsening contamination, and record the seedlings’ status and experimental data.
Only then did Ling Shuying pick up the two knives Hai Yao had brought and examine them closely.
Both blades were made of fish bone and honed to a sharp edge, though it was impossible to tell what specific fish they came from.
The meat-carving dagger was nearly identical to her own, just slightly smaller.
Weighing them in her hands, she couldn’t tell if her strength had increased or if the bone knives were just too light.
Both felt rather weightless.
Fortunately, they were sharp enough—at the very least, far more practical than broken seashells.
By the time she put the knives away, the sun was also beginning to set.
Ling Shuying spoke up, telling Hai Yao, “It’s getting dark.
Let’s eat.
Two hot dishes and one cold dish, just as promised.”
Hai Yao’s eyes lit up.
Finally, she wouldn’t have to eat raw fish and wild berries anymore.
She then quickly followed up with, “I still don’t know your name.”
“Ling Shuying.”
“Chef Ling, do you need me to catch some fish?”
Amused by the title, a rare smile tugged at Ling Shuying’s stiff face.
“Yes.
What kind of fish can you catch?”
“I can get any fish from the coastal waters.
Whatever you want.”
She really was an expert fish-catcher.
Ling Shuying recalled that Hai Yao had been swept up by a wave precisely while catching fish.
“Two sea bass—can you catch those?”
“Easy, leave it to me!”
Sea bass lived where estuaries met the coastal waters.
Ling Shuying hadn’t seen a trace of them around here, but looking at Hai Yao’s brimming confidence, it probably wouldn’t be an issue.
After all, she was an expert fish-catcher.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Hai Yao set off for the beach the second she finished speaking.
Meanwhile, Ling Shuying started pondering what to make for the other dish.
A wave of emptiness washed over her, triggering her craving for something sweet once again.
Coconuts.
She would make coconut soup.
Back in the City State, Ling Shuying’s favorite drink was coffee—especially dark roast espresso.
The bitter, rich flavor had always captivated her.
But since arriving on the island, she had grown increasingly fond of coconuts.
The fact that coconuts were the only unlimited water source on the island was one thing, but her frequent, intense cravings for them were the real issue.
A reasonable guess was that Qing Ling was the one who liked coconuts.
At first, Ling Shuying thought Qing Ling was merely a special type of symbiotic algae.
However, as she utilized it more deeply, she observed that Qing Ling didn’t just functionally enhance her body—including, but not limited to, strengthening her physical constitution, boosting her spiritual power, and improving her ecological deduction abilities.
She also discovered that Qing Ling seemed to have its own tastes and temper.
The most obvious sign was that Ling Shuying had developed a sweet tooth, especially after performing complex calculations and deductions.
There was also another bizarre hypothesis that had yet to be verified: her own personality had undergone certain changes.
For instance, when she was alone with no one else around, she acted like a child.
But when conducting experiments or interacting with Hai Yao, she could instantly return to her rational self.
Did this personality influence also stem from Qing Ling?
Ling Shuying couldn’t come up with an answer at the moment.
If she wanted to further explore the mysteries of Qing Ling, she would need more professional equipment.
But right now, she just wanted a bowl of coconut soup.
A sweet, warm bowl of coconut soup.
She found the two largest, most plump coconuts.
Prying the top off one, she drank it down, GLUG GLUG GLUG.
She gathered fresh sea lettuce from the beach, the core of a banana flower, and snagged the last remaining taro from her home.
After cleaning them all, she cut them into bite-sized pieces and placed them inside the coconut shell.
She lit a fire to boil the soup.
At this moment, Hai Yao returned carrying fish: three sea bass and six Stone Oysters.
Skipping happily, she placed the seafood in the kitchen and hollered, “Add a dish, add a dish!
Fresh Stone Oysters!
These Stone Oysters are so fresh, you could even eat them raw.”
With that, she pried one open and swallowed it in a single bite.
Watching her chew with a look of pure enjoyment, Ling Shuying couldn’t help but feel a little tempted.
But eating them raw was out of the question.
Ling Shuying smiled stiffly, taking the ingredients into the kitchen to process them one by one.
Three sea bass: two for grilling, one for the soup.
Five Stone Oysters: all placed on the rack to roast.
Jellyfish: served as a cold salad.
A perfect balance of meat and vegetables, with both cold and hot dishes.
The only thing missing was a staple food.
Every time she ate, Ling Shuying wished her algae seedlings could grow at lightning speed, allowing her to eat white flour and rice sooner.
But haste makes waste; no matter how much she craved them, she had to take it one step at a time.
Before long, the savory aromas of the fish and the sweet scent of the boiling coconut soup wafted out, making Hai Yao’s mouth water.
Both had been busy all day, so they immediately dug in, devouring the food like a whirlwind scattering clouds.
In no time, they had wiped everything clean.
After finishing her meal, Ling Shuying spaced out, her thoughts returning to the famine in the City State.
As a top-tier scholar, her daily meals were naturally quite good, but the commoners were far less fortunate.
At the very least, today’s meal was comparable to an average family’s New Year’s Eve dinner.
Thinking about the City State only made her want to speed up her progress and dive back into her seedling research.
Meanwhile, Hai Yao hugged the makeshift coconut pot, gnawing at it and scooping out the coconut meat from the inner walls until it was spotless.
Though her stomach was satisfied, she felt a hint of Void in her heart.
Ever since she got to the island, all she had eaten was raw fish and wild berries—she hadn’t had a single bite of hot food.
Yet today, right here with Ling Shuying, she had feasted on cooked meat with hot soup and even a small cold dish.
She had to figure out a way to secure this long-term meal ticket.
After a moment of silence, the two spoke at the exact same time, “You—”
Both girls froze.
Meeting each other’s eyes, they let out an awkward laugh.
“You go first,” they said in unison once again.
“Uh…”
Guessing that the other girl’s thoughts might overlap with her own, Ling Shuying let Hai Yao speak first.
“Ahem, I’ll just be blunt.
Do you need an advisor?
I can provide you with planting guidance and a wilderness survival guide.”
“And what do you need in return?” Ling Shuying already had an answer in mind, but she still wanted to clarify the girl’s demands.
“Feed me.”
Just as she thought—an absolute foodie who spent all day catching fish.